Wednesday 10 June 2015
Pixi Glow Tonic
This is my first full review on my new blog! I sat here for a week or so, deliberating what my first product review would be and since my skin is my main concern, I thought I'd start with a facial skin product.
For those of you who are interested in knowing more about my skin type click here. In short though, I have combination skin, but still suffer from acne and slight scarring. I'm quite set in my routine, but as a part of starting my blogging journey I'm keen to try out new products. Currently my toner of choice is the Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion.
I recently ordered the Glamour Summer Edition Beauty Box from Latest in Beauty (which is fab and available here). One of the selling points of this box was the Pixi Glow Tonic. Upon arrival I couldn't wait to try it out, having heard such great things about it. It's only a small bottle, but I think you could get a weeks use out of it so it should give you a great idea of how your skin gets on with it. The Pixi Glow Tonic is COMPLETELY different to the Clinique Clarifying lotion, but I feel I need to provide a comparison of the two products, here's why:
Clinique Clarifying Lotion:
Pixi Glow Tonic:
I've found that I don't like oily feeling products on my skin at night time, I wake up with a shiny face and sweat in my eyes (it stings)! For that reason, the Clinique Clarifying Lotion is still my night time choice, it genuinely makes me feel fully clean at the end of a long day! That said, I've noticed that I LOVE using the Pixi Glow Tonic in the morning. As mentioned above, it does everything I want a toner to do during my morning routine; liven up my skin - giving it a glow, hydrating and plumping as well as smelling really fresh. It's perfect for Summer!
I have only been using the Glow Tonic for just under a week though, so I can't comment on the long term effect on my blemishes or overall skin condition. However, I'm have half a bottle left and conveniently I'm up in London next weekend so intend to pop into their shop to pick up a full sized bottle. It'd be fab if they offer any samples of other products or the ability to have a good play in store as I'm really intrigued to see what their other products look and feel like, especially their primer and eye-shadows! Keeping my fingers crossed I get time for a good browse! The Glamour Box also gives us a £5 off code to use in store or online, so I suppose it'd be rude not to!
You can purchase the Pixi Glow Tonic by visiting their website here.
For those of you who are interested in knowing more about my skin type click here. In short though, I have combination skin, but still suffer from acne and slight scarring. I'm quite set in my routine, but as a part of starting my blogging journey I'm keen to try out new products. Currently my toner of choice is the Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion.
I recently ordered the Glamour Summer Edition Beauty Box from Latest in Beauty (which is fab and available here). One of the selling points of this box was the Pixi Glow Tonic. Upon arrival I couldn't wait to try it out, having heard such great things about it. It's only a small bottle, but I think you could get a weeks use out of it so it should give you a great idea of how your skin gets on with it. The Pixi Glow Tonic is COMPLETELY different to the Clinique Clarifying lotion, but I feel I need to provide a comparison of the two products, here's why:
Clinique Clarifying Lotion:
- Feels like a deep clean - Great at the end of the day
- Slightly drying effect on skin - Which helps to clear up my spots
- Leaves skin feeling tingly and tightened
- It has quite a strong odour
Pixi Glow Tonic:
- Leaves skin feeling hydrated and plumped up
- Really does provide a GLOW
- Feels slightly oily, but leaves skin looking dewy
- Smells divine!
I've found that I don't like oily feeling products on my skin at night time, I wake up with a shiny face and sweat in my eyes (it stings)! For that reason, the Clinique Clarifying Lotion is still my night time choice, it genuinely makes me feel fully clean at the end of a long day! That said, I've noticed that I LOVE using the Pixi Glow Tonic in the morning. As mentioned above, it does everything I want a toner to do during my morning routine; liven up my skin - giving it a glow, hydrating and plumping as well as smelling really fresh. It's perfect for Summer!
I have only been using the Glow Tonic for just under a week though, so I can't comment on the long term effect on my blemishes or overall skin condition. However, I'm have half a bottle left and conveniently I'm up in London next weekend so intend to pop into their shop to pick up a full sized bottle. It'd be fab if they offer any samples of other products or the ability to have a good play in store as I'm really intrigued to see what their other products look and feel like, especially their primer and eye-shadows! Keeping my fingers crossed I get time for a good browse! The Glamour Box also gives us a £5 off code to use in store or online, so I suppose it'd be rude not to!
You can purchase the Pixi Glow Tonic by visiting their website here.
My Skin
On this post, I'd like to explain a little about my skin type, its history and my current favourite facial products. I'm hoping some of you will be able to share my experiences, and should that be the case, my reviews of products should help you in discovering new products to try for yourself. Apologies if your skin type is completely different to mine, but I'll also be reviewing lots of hair & fitness products as well as general lifestyle blogging, so I do hope you enjoy reading my posts!
When I was 11 I started getting acne, loads of tiny bumps on my forehead. At the time I remember being distraught and trying loads of commercially available acne treatments as well as those prescribed by my doctor. My skin continued to get worse until I started taking the pill when I turned 16, from that moment on my skin has remained:
When I was 11 I started getting acne, loads of tiny bumps on my forehead. At the time I remember being distraught and trying loads of commercially available acne treatments as well as those prescribed by my doctor. My skin continued to get worse until I started taking the pill when I turned 16, from that moment on my skin has remained:
- Combination
- Acne around jaw line
- Hormonal breakouts elsewhere
- Sensitive to certain treatments, causing dry skin and itching
- Dark circles under eyes
- Scarring from previous acne breakouts
I can't remember a time in my adult life that I've had a completely clear complexion. I did think that by 30 my skin would have settled. I remained on the pill for 8 years, before taking a break for a year (during which time my breakouts worsened) and finally having the implant in, when my skin returned to the same state as my pill days.
I drink enough water. I eat healthy including loads of fruit, veggies, nuts and fish. I exercise a lot (I teach fitness classes). I try to get a lot of sleep. I don't smoke and don't often drink alcohol. I rarely use make-up, unless I'm heading into town for a meal or drinks (I don't even wear make-up doing the food shopping)!
A year ago a thought I'd try something new, the Clinique 3 Step, Anti Blemish Solutions. I tried this for 4 months, however during this time using all three steps zapped my skin of its natural oils and I had a horrendous break out. I understand sometimes it gets worse before it gets better but I persevered using the products for 4 months, twice daily before cutting back to once a day. One day I ran out of the moisturiser, so I began using the foam wash and clarifying lotion with another brand moisturiser (Neutrogena Oil Free), and my skin started improving. Then I ran out of the foam wash, and began using the Neutrogena pink grapefruit facial wash, once again my skin improved. I have however, found that the "step 2", clarifying lotion is by far the best for keeping my skin clear. I just found that using all three products together was too much.
That takes me up to where I am today. I'm writing this as I've just starting blogging, and am really looking forward to trying out some new products, as well as bring a little scared. One of the reasons for starting my blog is so that I can learn from other beauty bloggers, as well as easily pass on my experiences.
If your skin sounds similar to mine, fingers crossed the skin review products I write will help you in deciding what or not to try out for yourself. I'd love to hear if anything I recommend has been a life saver for you!
My top products (in no order) for my skin are:
- Clinique Anti Blemish Clarifying Lotion - Does dry out skin but seems to treat spots well
- Clinique Anti Blemish Gel - Great to target stubborn breakouts
- Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Wash
- Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Scrub - Gently exfoliates, perfect after a long day
- Neutrogena Oil free moisturiser
- Lush Mask of Magnaminty - Amazing smell, really sucks out impurities so best to use a few days before you need clear skin
- Witch Stick - Portable, great antibacterial remedy (and cheap)
- Clinique tinted moisturiser - I hate the feel of foundation but this does a great job of balancing out skin tone and masking my scarring.
Friday 5 June 2015
Hi, I'm new here...
Hi, my name is Vicki and this is my first ever post for my new blog! Thanks for taking the time to visit and get to know me, I'm new to this blogging malarkey so please bear with me! My blog is currently a work in progress, I hope to make it pretty soon, but thought in the meantime I may as well introduce myself and why I'm here :-)
What's my blog about?
Technically lifestyle, but predominantly beauty and fitness.
Why have I decided to create a blog?
It may sound dramatic but I turn 30 this year, and thought there's no better time than now to start taking more care of my beauty regime, growing old gracefully and all that. I've decided to join the blogging community to learn about life, products, techniques etc, anything that'll help to keep me feeling young (sounding very OTT now), but also to share my experiences with anyone who finds it useful.
I'm a personal trainer and group fitness instructor from Bournemouth, UK, teaching a variety of classes from Insanity to Zumba so fitness is a massive passion for me. I've always been active, a bit of a tom boy as a child, climbing trees and riding my mountain bike out to the middle of nowhere and that sense of adventure has stayed with me throughout adult life. Now my physical hobbies include climbing, snowboarding as well as running all of my classes. For this reason, I intend to have fitness as a key part of my blog, sharing with you my experiences of products I've tried from gadgets to sports bras through to the different activities I try out.
So, that explains the fitness side of my blog, and the part I actually know something about! The reason why I want to also focus on beauty is because I feel it works hand in hand with fitness to keep your confidence levels high, and I think that becomes even more important as you get older. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel old, nor do I think 30 is ancient! I'm not dreading it nearly as much as I thought I would, however I am well aware that the make up and beauty regime that used to work for me might not be carried off so well now (thinking back to a 12 year old decision of bright blue eye-shadow and gold liquid eye-liner springs to mind). I'm just here to learn, and to be honest there's not a great deal I know about the industry at the moment so I'm aiming to try as many products as possible, along with joining other beauty bloggers on their quests.
What else will I write about?
My other hobbies include travelling. I love going on holiday, but just don't get to go too often. As one of my hobbies is snowboarding, a favourite destination is Whistler in Canada. I also love visiting different cities. I enjoy reading, although again don't get much time to read as much as I used to. My favourite genres are usually any fiction based in a foreign country, nothing too fluffy - Two of my all time favourites are Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I try to read anything though, not a massive fan of crime, as it always seems to be the husband or step-dad... I watch a lot of quiz shows and try to go pub quizzing whenever I can, and also enjoy TV box sets like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Tyrant, Breaking Bad and my guilty pleasure from a few years back was Ugly Betty!
I've recently decided to cut out meat from my diet, following a pescetarian diet. Mainly because my poor stomach couldn't digest the meat, but also because it did gross me out a bit. I'm expecting this to be a challenge as I'd say another hobby of mine is eating! I love eating out but also can't eat spicy food, so I'm hoping my limited diet will allow me to start being a bit more adventurous!
My Favourite Brands
My top 3 Fitness Brands are:
Puma
Nike
Mizuno
My top 3 Beauty Brands are:
Clinique - Love about 9/10 of the products I've tried so far
Lush
Moroccanoil - Recently discovered following a hair disaster in local salon
My Main Beauty Concerns
Acne - Still!!!
Keeping beautiful nails (love Vinylux but find my nails don't)
Flyaway hair
Starting my Blog
I've set up this blog although it'll be a work in progress for a while, I'll be more active on Twitter for the time being, sharing competitions, tips and any special offers I can find. One thing I thought I'd get done at the start of my blogging career was to sort out my existing hoard of "essentials". I appear to have collected an awful lot of duplicates (mainly hair products), Clinique goods, and free samples, as well as stock piling a ridiculous amount of out of date make up. I've used this photo as my cover photo until I can make something better, but thought it apt to start my journey, safe to say A LOT of it went in the bin to create space for my new goodies...
I don't want to bore you all any further, but I'd love it if you could visit again and connect with me on Twitter @Fashionfituk and also BlogLovin (still working that out) FashionablyfitUK
Vicki
What's my blog about?
Technically lifestyle, but predominantly beauty and fitness.
Why have I decided to create a blog?
It may sound dramatic but I turn 30 this year, and thought there's no better time than now to start taking more care of my beauty regime, growing old gracefully and all that. I've decided to join the blogging community to learn about life, products, techniques etc, anything that'll help to keep me feeling young (sounding very OTT now), but also to share my experiences with anyone who finds it useful.
I'm a personal trainer and group fitness instructor from Bournemouth, UK, teaching a variety of classes from Insanity to Zumba so fitness is a massive passion for me. I've always been active, a bit of a tom boy as a child, climbing trees and riding my mountain bike out to the middle of nowhere and that sense of adventure has stayed with me throughout adult life. Now my physical hobbies include climbing, snowboarding as well as running all of my classes. For this reason, I intend to have fitness as a key part of my blog, sharing with you my experiences of products I've tried from gadgets to sports bras through to the different activities I try out.
So, that explains the fitness side of my blog, and the part I actually know something about! The reason why I want to also focus on beauty is because I feel it works hand in hand with fitness to keep your confidence levels high, and I think that becomes even more important as you get older. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel old, nor do I think 30 is ancient! I'm not dreading it nearly as much as I thought I would, however I am well aware that the make up and beauty regime that used to work for me might not be carried off so well now (thinking back to a 12 year old decision of bright blue eye-shadow and gold liquid eye-liner springs to mind). I'm just here to learn, and to be honest there's not a great deal I know about the industry at the moment so I'm aiming to try as many products as possible, along with joining other beauty bloggers on their quests.
What else will I write about?
My other hobbies include travelling. I love going on holiday, but just don't get to go too often. As one of my hobbies is snowboarding, a favourite destination is Whistler in Canada. I also love visiting different cities. I enjoy reading, although again don't get much time to read as much as I used to. My favourite genres are usually any fiction based in a foreign country, nothing too fluffy - Two of my all time favourites are Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I try to read anything though, not a massive fan of crime, as it always seems to be the husband or step-dad... I watch a lot of quiz shows and try to go pub quizzing whenever I can, and also enjoy TV box sets like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Tyrant, Breaking Bad and my guilty pleasure from a few years back was Ugly Betty!
I've recently decided to cut out meat from my diet, following a pescetarian diet. Mainly because my poor stomach couldn't digest the meat, but also because it did gross me out a bit. I'm expecting this to be a challenge as I'd say another hobby of mine is eating! I love eating out but also can't eat spicy food, so I'm hoping my limited diet will allow me to start being a bit more adventurous!
My Favourite Brands
My top 3 Fitness Brands are:
Puma
Nike
Mizuno
My top 3 Beauty Brands are:
Clinique - Love about 9/10 of the products I've tried so far
Lush
Moroccanoil - Recently discovered following a hair disaster in local salon
My Main Beauty Concerns
Acne - Still!!!
Keeping beautiful nails (love Vinylux but find my nails don't)
Flyaway hair
Starting my Blog
I've set up this blog although it'll be a work in progress for a while, I'll be more active on Twitter for the time being, sharing competitions, tips and any special offers I can find. One thing I thought I'd get done at the start of my blogging career was to sort out my existing hoard of "essentials". I appear to have collected an awful lot of duplicates (mainly hair products), Clinique goods, and free samples, as well as stock piling a ridiculous amount of out of date make up. I've used this photo as my cover photo until I can make something better, but thought it apt to start my journey, safe to say A LOT of it went in the bin to create space for my new goodies...
I don't want to bore you all any further, but I'd love it if you could visit again and connect with me on Twitter @Fashionfituk and also BlogLovin (still working that out) FashionablyfitUK
Vicki
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